Tupamaros

The Tupamaros were a left-wing urban guerrilla group in Uruguay which was active from 1967 to 1972. The Tupamaros - named for the 18th century South American revolutionary Tupac Amaru II - were founded as a group of youthful students and professionals who attracted union members, students, and the rural poor. The movement staged the robberies of banks, gun clubs, and other businesses in the early 1960s, and they distributed stolen food and money to the poor in Montevideo. As the Tupamaros grew, they formed the Frente Amplio political wing, now a major party in the country. The Tupamaros peaked in 1970 and 1971, making use of a People's Prison to intern hostages, who would either be ransomed or executed. However, its choice to engage in political violence weakened its support, its wave of high-profile assassinations proved unpopular, and the army cracked down on the rebels and used torture to flip high-ranking Tupamaros such as Hector Amodio Perez. In mid-1972, many Tupamaros were killed, while the majority of the rest were captured. It was not until 1985 that democracy was restored to Uruguay, and President Julio Maria Sanguinetti granted an amnesty to the Tupamaros, who then entered politics as the "Frente Amplio".